Christmas break was definitely not something I looked forward to these days. Last year I dreaded it because I hated spending time with my grandmother. She was awful to me, and I fear she has only gotten worse over the years. But now not only have I been stuck with her in this small house for a few days, but I am unable to see any of my friends, and that includes Sirius, who is now officially my boyfriend.
Thinking about him gives me chills. I was washing the dishes after dinner while my grandmother and Sadie read their books at the table, and couldn't help but smile to myself when I thought about how he and I are dating now, and how absolutely incredible it feels to be with him openly and not in secret.
"What are you smiling about? Get back to work," Griselda nagged, looking up from her book for a moment to catch me daydreaming. I snapped out o fit quickly and got back to scrubbing the plates.
Griselda doesn't know that Sirius and I are dating, and to keep that secret, I had to keep it from Sadie too. I felt awful about it, but I planned to tell her after the holidays were over and we were back at Hogwarts. She just loves our grandmother so much, she's never able to keep her mouth shut around her. If she found out I was dating someone, let alone a pureblood who is formerly part of the sacred 28, she would have a stroke. Although, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing...
I couldn't help but let my mind wander again back to Sirius. I thought back to our final goodbye aboard the Hogwarts express. We let everyone else leave the train ahead of us and we remained in our compartment a few minutes after arriving at the station. We would have gone with everyone else and said goodbye on the platform, but we didn't want our families seeing us together. Well, I suppose Sirius didn't mind if he saw, seeing as he's already disowned. I didn't want Griselda or Sadie to see me with him. It would have made the holidays too painful to bear.
I remember looking into his grey eyes and wishing I could go with him to James' house. All the marauders were going to the Potter's for Christmas this year, and I couldn't help but feel jealous.
"It's only two weeks. I'll see you again in no time," Sirius had smirked at me, cupping my face in both his hands. I rested my hand on him, pressing it to my face so I could feel his warmth before walking out into the cool December air.
"I just... I hate going home to that awful woman," I sighed, leaning into his touch and closing my eyes, breathing in his scent, trying to memorize it. Two weeks felt daunting. We hadn't been apart since summer, and even that was miserable. Now that we were together, I didn't even want to let him out of my sight.
"I know... trust me, I get it," He sighed, pulling his hands away from my face to grasp both my hands and swing them between us. He leaned forward and leaned his forehead against mine.
"Sorry, I feel bad complaining about it... your situation was way worse," I quickly responded, feeling guilty suddenly.
"Don't apologize, it's not a competition," He chuckled. "Just because I went through a... difficult situation, it doesn't mean yours is any less important. Just look on the bright side, after this holiday you never have to go back there. You and I can go somewhere together. I'll follow you to Romania for all I care. I just want us to be together," He sighed. I smiled a bit at the idea.
"That sounds nice," I murmured, leaning up a bit and brushing his nose against mine. I entwined our fingers together and my lips brushed against his as I spoke. "I'm going to tackle you the next time I see you" I giggled a bit.
"I wouldn't mind that one bit," He grinned, finally closing the gap between us and connecting our lips in a firm kiss. One that held all the emotions we felt in that moment; as if we would never see each other again. I quickly discarded that thought. I didn't think I could live without him anymore.
I was brought back to reality by the sound of shattering ceramic. I looked down at the floor to see the plate I had been holding scattered on the floor in tiny, sharp fragments. I felt my face heat up, embarrassed that I was so taken with my daydream. Then fear set in as Griselda's booming voice filled the room.
"You insolent, stupid girl! La prochaine fois fais ton travail et garde ta tête hors de ton cul!" She yelled, switching to french mid-sentence so Sadie wouldn't have to listen to her cursing in English. It translates to: "Next time do your job and keep your head out of your ass!"
She got up and came over to me. I braced myself, flinching as she raised her hand and slapped me across the face. I never understood what I did to her. When we lived in France she was fine with me. She never loved me as much as Sadie, but she didn't treat me like garbage at least. I could tell she was becoming deranged; like she wasn't herself anymore. Sadie refused to see it, but I could.
My face stung and tears welled in my eyes. I refused to show her that she hurt me, so I blinked them away and looked up at her, glaring. I could feel my cheek turning red where she hit me, but I didn't care. Sadie was crying, begging her to stop, but there was nothing she could do.
"Clean this up and get out of here," Griselda spat in my face, turning around and walking into the living room. I sighed, grabbed an old rag off the counter, and kneeled to pick up the shards. Sadie came over to help me, tears streaking her cheeks.
"Hey, don't worry about me," I said quietly to her so Griselda couldn't hear us from the other room. "I'm tougher than I look, okay?" I attempted a smile.
"I just don't understand why she treats you this way. I always beg her to be kind to you, but it's like she can't help herself. She hardly even talks to me anymore. Have you seen how tired she's become? She has dark circles and her face has become sunken... even her body looks so frail" Sadie shook her head. I never thought about it, but I realized Sadie was actually right. Griselda definitely looked worse and worse every time we saw her. She was certainly losing her mind a bit as well. Even now, it was Christmas eve and she hardly even acknowledged the holiday. When we got home not one decoration was set up, not even a Christmas tree. Sadie was distraught and insisted on decorating as a family, but seeing as we only had a few days to prepare, the decorations were still sub-par. While I would do anything to be free of her, I didn't want her to die... Especially for Sadie's sake.
We finished cleaning up the broken plate off the floor, and once I put the rest of the dishes away I decided to hide away in my room like I usually did. Thankfully Sadie decided to spend some time with Griselda because I really just wanted to be alone and away from the two of them.
I was sitting in my room by myself with a book when I heard a soft tapping on my window. I paused for a moment, thinking I might have been hearing things, but then the tapping came again. I looked at the window and had to hold back a cry of joy. Sirius stood behind the glass in the cool night air, wind whipping his hair around his head, a grin spread across his face. I jumped up off my bed at lightning speed and opened the window to let him in.
"Miss me, darling?" He grinned as I slid the window open. I stared at him in disbelief.
"Sirius, what in the name of Merlin are you doing here?" I asked. I took a step back so he could climb through the window into my room. He closed it behind him to keep the cool winter air from getting in.
"Just thought you could use a little Christmas cheer" He shrugged. "Now, last I remember you promised to tackle me when you saw me" He smirked, opening his arms to me. I giggled and jumped into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and clutching onto him for dear life. He chuckled and grabbed my waist to support me. He turned around and laid back on my bed so I was now on top of him. I propped myself up and looked down at him, unable to control my smile.
"I thought you would be at James' for Christmas?" I asked.
"Well, I don't think I'll be staying here all night with your grandmother lurking about. I'll be back home before they even realize I'm gone" He smiled up at me. I gazed into his eyes for a moment, wondering how I got so lucky before he grabbed my face and brought it close to his, connecting our lips in an intense kiss. It was full of so much passion, you'd think Sirius and I had been apart for more than just a few days. I tangled my hands in his hair and his roamed down my back, tracing over the curves in my sides. I chose an interesting night to wear a thin shirt and shorts to bed, that's for sure.
Just as Sirius' hands dipped under the hem of my shirt, I heard footsteps coming towards my room. I placed my hands firmly on his chest and pulled away, looking towards the door and listening for a moment. The footsteps got louder and just as someone began turning the knob I jumped off Sirius and shoved him under my bed at lightning speed. I sat on my bed as Griselda walked in, eyeing me suspiciously. I just hoped my lips didn't look too red, my cheeks too flushed, and my hair too messy.
"What are you doing in here?" She asked, anger simmering beneath the surface.
"Nothing," I shrugged, before looking at my book on the bed, "Just reading."
"I heard voices" She took a few steps into the room now, looking around suspiciously. Curse this house for being so small.
"I was reading aloud to myself," I shrugged, "It's good practice for school presentations."
She looked me up and down, still suspicious.
"I could have sworn I heard another voice... a boy's voice..." She trailed off, coming closer to me. I gulped, getting slightly nervous, remembering how my cheek stung earlier in the night when she hit me.
"Well, there's a male character in the book I'm reading... I was trying out a man's voice." I lied horribly, but I suppose she had no reason to suspect I wasn't telling the truth, so she simply squinted her eyes at me.
"Your sister and I are going to bed now. Do yourself a favor and stop talking to yourself in here, otherwise, I'll come back and make you quiet" She growled. I nodded my head slowly, showing that I understood. I wasn't particularly afraid of her, I was more afraid of what could happen to Sadie if I messed up.
Thankfully Griselda took one last look around the room, even taking a few seconds to open my closet and peer in, before leaving and slamming the door behind her. I winced slightly at the loud noise and was thankful to feel strong, warm arms wrap around my waist once we were in the clear.
"Sorry about that" I whispered, trying to remain as quiet as possible.
"Don't apologize to me" Sirius whispered from behind me, placing a soft kiss on my neck. I sighed.
"Sirius, I think you should go... I need to be quiet, and I don't think I can achieve that while you're around" I tried not to blush as I said this.
"Ah, just can't control yourself around me, eh?" He smirked. I rolled my eyes, playfully shoving his shoulder.
"I'm serious, she can't catch you in here" I shook my head at him. Sirius sighed, but then pulled out his wand. I gave him a curious look as he pointed his wand at the door.
"Muffliato" He whispered, then turned to each of my walls and said the same thing. I gave him a questioning look. "It's a charm that conceals sound. Anyone who gets close to this room will get a faint buzzing in their ears so they can't hear what's happening inside" He shrugged. "Remember? I used it last year when I visited"
"I forgot about that one" I laughed in disbelief.
"I stole Snivellus' little book once and saw it written inside" Sirius shrugged, grabbing me and pulling me onto his lap again so I was straddling him. "Figured it would come in handy for moments like this" He grinned, leaning up to kiss me again. I laughed a little but kissed him back, feeling much more comfortable now that no one could hear us.
Sirius continued to move his hands up the back of my shirt and over my bare skin I felt goosebumps grow up my arms as he explored my upper body, and I unconsciously began unbuttoning his shirt. I just noticed he dressed up for me, wearing a dress shirt rather than his usual old t-shirt.
Sirius and I's relationship was still very new to me, and while we've made out on several occasions before, it had never been as heated as this was getting. To be fair, the only time we ever got alone was sneaking away into an empty classroom or broom closet, and none of them had a bed in it, but I still felt a nervous excitement fill my stomach.
His lips trailed down to my neck until he found the perfect spot, and I bit my lip to keep my moans to myself. I pushed his shirt open and traced my hands up and down his chest, gaining quite the reaction from him as well. He hummed against my skin and came up for air, grinning.
"You know you can be as loud as you want now, no one can hear us" He reminded me, now moving to the other side of my neck, tracing his lips across my collar bone as he went. I hummed a bit in response, trying to form words.
"And give you the satisfaction?" I grinned a bit, and he looked up at me. "No way," I teased him.
"Ah, getting a bit competitive now, are we?" I could see the excitement in his eyes. "We'll see just how quiet you could be when I'm done with you" His voice suddenly became lower and more seductive. My eyes widened a bit, and as if by some magnetic force, our lips crashed together once again.
That was when the door slammed open.
I quickly scrambled off Sirius and tried fixing my hair and shirt, watching in horror as Griselda stood silently in the doorway, eyes wide, wand clutched in one hand, her chest rising and falling as she heaved angrily. I have never seen her in such a state. She almost looked like someone else. Surely this couldn't be my grandmother? Her face was pale as a sheet and sunken; as if her skin was being stretched too far around her skull. Her hair was thinner, and while her body shook with energy and rage, she still looked frail.
"G-Griselda, I can explain..." I began, but I didn't get very far. Without saying a word to me, she raised her wand towards Sirius. My eyes widened when I heard the spell leave her lips.
"Diffindo" She growled, a green light escaping from the tip of her wand. I pushed Sirius out of the way, resulting in him tumbling off the bed and onto the floor. However, I wasn't fast enough. I felt the spell slice across my arm from my wrist up to my elbow. I screamed, falling to the floor myself as I clutched my arm, feeling lightheaded when I saw how much blood was escaping my body.
"P-please..." I begged Griselda, not wanting to fight her. I kneeled before her, completely at her mercy.
"You disgusting slut" She growled, spitting on the ground before me. "You are no granddaughter of mine," she said before raising her wand once more, pointing it directly at me this time. "Crucio."
Pain. Indescribable pain. It covered every inch of my body. I felt like I was screaming, but my ears were ringing so much that I couldn't even tell. Every bone in my body was being broken, crushed, and ground-up while still inside my body. Every nerve was being ripped out one by one. My skin was on fire and my hair was being torn from my scalp. It was every awful feeling in this world combined into one.
Then, as fast as it came, it disappeared. I was panting, laying on the ground, the only pain remaining was the dull ache in my upper arm. The rest of my body felt almost numb; like I was paralyzed.
I tried turning my head as the room around me came back into focus. I saw Sirius bending over me, concern etched across his face. He was speaking, but his voice still seemed clouded and distant. It took me a few seconds to understand what he was tiring to tell me.
"We have to get you out of here, now!" He exclaimed, trying to help me stand up. I looked to my right where Griselda once stood, but now she was just laying in a heap on the floor. Sadie stood over her in the doorway, her own wand in one hand and Griselda's wand clutched in her other. I looked back at Sirius and noticed his wand was out too.
"S-Sadie, did you-?" I began, but Sirius cut me off.
"Sadie disarmed her. I cast stupefy." Sirius assured me. I felt myself take a deep breath. The last thing I wanted was Sadie having to live with the thought of hurting someone, let alone her own grandmother. I allowed Sirius to help me to my feet. I felt weak, but that was likely because I was losing blood fast. The effects of the curse seemed to have worn off completely.
"W-where are we going?" I asked, my voice trembling. I have never felt this frightened in my entire life. I never thought something like this could actually happen to me. I spend my life living under the childish notion that I was untouchable, that nothing could hurt me. At least, not physically. How wrong I had been.
"The Potters. They'll take care of you both" Sirius assured me. I nodded slowly, wanting to get as far away from here as possible.
"C'mon Sadie let's go" I motioned for her to follow me, my voice still shaking. I could no longer control it.
Sadie just stood motionless in the doorway, looking between us and Griselda, tears welling in her eyes.
"Sadie?" I asked again, wondering why she was hesitating. Fear began to set in when she refused to come with me.
"I-I have to stay" She cried softly, and I would have fallen to my knees again if Sirius hadn't been supporting me. "I can't leave her alone! Not like this!" She defended.
"Sadie, I know she's your grandmother, but she just attacked your sister. You aren't safe here with her, and we need to leave before she wakes up" Sirius tried to reason with her. I prayed she would at least listen to him. She always liked Sirius. She trusted him from day one.
"No," She shook her head. She brought her attention back to Griselda and kneeled beside her, laying a hand on her cheek gently.
"Sadie... Please" I begged, my voice cracking. "I can't leave you here..."
"And you can't stay either," Sadie sniffled, and I knew she was right. If I stayed it would only make Griselda angrier, and that could hurt Sadie. But I couldn't leave her with this woman either. It was as if Sadie had read my mind because she spoke up again. "She won't hurt me. I know she won't, and she needs someone to help her" Sadie gave me a pleading look.
"There is no way in hell-" Sirius started, but I grabbed his arm and cut him off.
"No, she's right" I sniffled a bit, trying to hold back my tears. Sirius looked at me like I was crazy. "Griselda won't hurt her. She loves Sadie, she wouldn't dare lay a finger on her" I sighed. "I'm the problem here. If I don't leave, I'll be putting Sadie in trouble" I told him. Sirius didn't seem to understand. I looked up at him and cupped his face. "You left Regulus" I reminded him, and I hated bringing it up, but I wanted to remind him of what that felt like. He pulled away and shook his head.
"That was different" He pursed his lips. "I asked him to come with me, and-"
"And he said no," I shrugged. "How is that any different?"
"I wasn't sure that my mother would never hurt him," Sirius told me. "I was the punching bag all those years, and I didn't care so long as she stayed away from him. Without me around... I don't know what they're doing to him there... I would give anything to have taken him with me that night. I won't let you make the same mistake"
"Sirius... I can't explain my reasoning. You know I would never leave Sadie here if I thought she was unsafe. I need you to trust me" I begged. He paused for a moment, looked down at Sadie cradling Griselda's body, and then sighed.
"I do trust you" He looked back at me. "But I'm going to come back every night and check on her to make sure everything is okay," He told me, and I felt that was a fair deal. If anything, it was ideal. "C'mon, let's get out of here before she wakes up" He sighed, helping me to the door. I paused beside Sadie and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I love you, Sadie," I said, my throat tightening on every word as I held back tears. She looked up at me, her tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I love you too," She sniffled. Sirius led me out, and I turned away, hoping I hadn't just made a huge mistake.
***
When Sirius and I arrived at the Potter's later that night, I was a complete wreck. My one arm was covered in blood, and I felt both physically and emotionally exhausted. Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Potter took me in, and Mrs. Potter bandaged up my arm and used a few healing spells to close the deep cut. I hadn't realized how much blood I had lost until I started feeling dizzy, so she also quickly brewed a blood replenishing potion and had me drink it.
The other boys were here and tried to make me feel better, but I retreated to the guest room soon after my arrival to hopefully get some sleep. However, try as I might, my eyes just refused to close.
After what felt like hours of trying to sleep while also ignoring the dull pain in my arm, I turned over to look at the clock and realized it was nearly two in the morning. I had been laying here trying to sleep for three hours. Just as I was about to get up and walk around a bit rather than laying here with my thoughts, a soft knock sounded on the other side of the door.
"Come in" I replied quietly, so I didn't wake anyone in the house. The door opened and Sirius' head poked through. I felt instant relief upon seeing him.
"Can't sleep?" He asked, walking into the room and closing the door behind him. I just shook my head, feeling like a little kid. "Me either" He sighed, standing beside my bed awkwardly. I pursed my lips as I looked at him, then moved over and patted the empty spot next to me. Sirius hesitated, but then lifted the cover and crawled into bed next to me. I immediately was drawn to his warmth and cuddled into his side.
"Thank you for coming," I whispered. He simply sighed in response.
"You know, mum would kill me if she saw me in here" Sirius chuckled a bit, and I had to remind myself that he called Mrs. Potter "mum". That made me smile. I was so happy Sirius had found a family with the Potters. Maybe I could too.
"Yea, she's pretty strict with the whole keep the boys and girls apart thing" I giggled. "Little does she know what James and Lily get up to at Hogwarts" I grinned at him. He tried to contain his laughter.
"We can't tell her, the poor woman would have a heart attack" Sirius replied, shaking his head.
"Her little James is all grown up," I joked. We fell into silence for a few moments. Sirius wrapped his arms around me and played with my hair, clearly deep in thought. "What are you thinking about?" I asked quietly, finally feeling drowsy now that Sirius was here.
"How I never want to see you in pain ever again" He replied quietly. I looked up into his eyes and saw nothing but sadness. "I... I know exactly what you went through tonight... all too well," He averted his eyes a bit, but I reached up and cupped his face with my hand so he would look at me. "Watching her hurt you... it was worse than experiencing it myself"
"Well, you don't have to worry about me. I'm a survivor, okay?" I asked. "Besides, this was a good lesson I suppose. Now I know I'm not invincible... I need to be more careful and protect myself" I sighed, feeling stupid for letting Griselda hurt me and not defending myself.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. It's different when it's family... I only ever fought back against my mum once, and it was because she threatened to go after Regulus. Whenever she punished me, I just let her, because she was my mother" He shrugged. "The boys started showing me that I didn't deserve to be treated that way I guess, but it was still hard being home on holidays... being trapped in that house with her..." He shook his head.
"But you're stronger now because of it" I reminded him, and he gave me a weak smile.
"I just wish people could be strong without having to suffer first" He sighed. I hugged him closer, hoping to comfort him somehow while listening to the beating of his heart in his chest.
"We don't have to suffer anymore. Not as long as we're together" I mumbled into his shirt. His grip around me tightened.
"You are the most amazing person I've ever met, you know that?" Sirius asked, his voice filled with astonishment. I looked up at him, confused. "You can go through one of the most traumatizing experiences someone can have, and still have a positive outlook" He shook his head. I thought for a moment.
"Well, I wasn't always like that. I guess I changed when I met you" I shrugged a bit. He smiled down at me. We were silent for a moment, and I thought about Sirius protecting Regulus from his mother. I felt a pit forming in my stomach. "I can't believe I let Sadie stay in that house with that monster" I whispered.
"I could tell you knew it was the right thing to do. Neither you nor Sadie would have been safe if you stayed, and Sadie wasn't going to leave your grandmother there in that state. I'll go check on her tomorrow. She's going to be fine" He assured me, pulling me in closer.
I hadn't felt at home in a long time. Not since my parents were alive. Not since I had to leave my childhood house and live with my grandmother in France. But right now, it didn't matter that I was an orphan, or kicked out of my house, because lying here in Sirius' arms, I felt more at home than I had in a long time. I felt a fluttering in my stomach when I looked up into his eyes, and I couldn't help but smile. He looked at me like I was crazy for a second.
"What is it?" He chuckled a bit. I wanted to tell him what I was experiencing when I looked at him, but no combination of twenty-six different letters could accurately capture even a sliver of what this feeling was, and I decided on the easiest explanation.
"I love you" I spoke quietly, and he looked like he didn't believe me at first.
"What? You... really?" He stuttered, taken off guard. I blushed a bit but smiled at his reaction.
"Yes, I love you" I chuckled slightly, and a huge smile broke out on his face. If it were even possible, he pulled me closer, then lifted my face to his and planted a sweet kiss on my lips.
"I love you too. I have for a long time" He sighed, stroking my hair.
"Too bad it took me too long to realize I felt the same way" I blushed again. He shrugged, grinning.
"Chasing after you added to the fun of it all" He chuckled. "Besides, we got to be friends first" He shrugged. I smiled back at him and nodded before snuggling into his side again, finally feeling calm enough to drift off to sleep.
***
"Oi! Earth to the lovebirds!" I heard someone call distantly, the bed shaking below me. My eyes squinted open, slowly adjusting to the sunlight pouring in from the window to my right. I felt someone shift beneath me and looked up to see Sirius' still figure, his eyes still closed.
"Go away" I groaned, snuggling back into him. The bed shook once again, and I looked over to see Remus and James standing there, the latter of the two kicking the bed frame.
"Oh, sod off" Sirius mumbled, rolling over and wrapping his arm tightly around my waist, pulling me into his chest. I blushed, trying not to giggle as I watched him try to go back to sleep.
"Wow, happy Christmas to you too," Remus replied dryly.
"C'mon Padfoot, you don't want Mum to find you in here, do you?" James threatened, and suddenly Sirius' eyes shot open.
"Shit..." He cursed under his breath, looking down at me and smiling a bit. "Good morning, love" He grinned at the last word. I blushed, ignoring the looks on James and Remus' faces as I replied.
"Morning, love" I couldn't help but grin.
"Okay, please stop before I vomit" James groaned, turning away while raising his hand to block his view. "If you don't get out of this bed within the next five seconds- wait are you guys even clothed?!" James suddenly exclaimed, looking back over at us and relaxing slightly when he saw we both had shirts on. I pulled away from Sirius to sit up, and he pouted a bit.
"You losers ruin everything" He sighed, sitting up beside me.
"You know, you two are so lucky we covered for you. We told Mrs. Potter you both were still asleep. Little does she know you're in the same bed" Remus snickered.
"Yeah... By the way Pads, Wormtail is in our room right now pretending to wake you up so you better get in there before mum comes looking" James added. Sirius sighed but pulled the covers back to get out of bed. I lifted the covers to my face a bit to hide my blush from the other two boys.
"Happy Christmas everyone," Sirius said sarcastically, but before he left he shot me one last wink, then disappeared through the door. Then, James and Remus turned to me with their eyebrows raised.
"Can I help you?" I asked, wondering why they were still here.
"What's with the L-word being tossed around?" James smirked at me, and Remus rolled his eyes, probably at James' phrasing.
"What are you talking about?" I pretended to play dumb while still hiding my face behind the covers.
"Estella, we've known Sirius for a long time, since we were eleven! We have never seen him so whipped in all seven years we've been friends." Remus clarified. "More importantly, never have I ever heard the word "love" come out of his mouth, other than when the great hall is serving his favorite meat pies"
"Well, we're dating for a reason" I shrugged, figuring that would resolve the matter.
"Wow..." James trailed off, grinning, "Not only is our little Padfoot in love but so is Mane!" he chuckled, playfully hitting Remus' arm. Remus grinned too, never passing up on the opportunity to tease one of us.
"I never thought I'd see the day... You were always so tame, Mane. I suppose Sirius did a good job at riling you up last night, aye?" Remus chuckled. I glared at them.
"Okay, get out" I sighed, pulling the covers away to get out of bed.
"Oh, c'mon Mane, don't get your tail in a twist" James grinned when I tried escorting them out.
"Oh, we're gonna start with the cat puns now, Bambi?" I raised my eyebrows, crossing my arms over my chest. The movement suddenly reminded me of the bandages on my upper arm and the soreness beneath it.
"Seriously, Mane. If you told us you didn't love Sirius you'd be... lion" Remus joined in.
"Oh wow, that was somehow worse than James', Mr. Werewolf McWerewolf" I glared at him.
"It's okay, we think the two of you are purr-fect together" James smiled proudly. I sighed before replying.
"Get the buck out of my room," I said as I held the door open for them. James raised his eyebrows as he processed what I said and Remus burst into laughter.
"She got you there prongs" He put a hand on James' shoulder to lead him out. I closed the door behind them and sighed, finally able to get dressed.
***
I headed to the kitchen about ten minutes later and saw all the boys sitting at the table already. I took the seat beside Sirius and smiled when I saw the huge plate of pancakes magically appear in front of me.
"Mum always makes pancakes on Christmas morning" James shrugged, just as Mrs. Potter walked into the room with a smile on her face.
"Good morning Estella, happy Christmas" She greeted me.
"Morning Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter" I nodded to him as well, seeing as he was already sitting at the table with us.
"How did you sleep last night?" she asked. All of the boys around me grinned beside Peter, and James even scoffed a bit. I kicked him under the table and he groaned, but he covered it up by biting into another pancake.
"Really well actually, the best I've slept in a while" I admitted, and noticed Sirius grab my hand under the table. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here. If you need help with anything just let me know. I know first hand how difficult it could be putting up with these four" I pointed in the direction of the boys, and Mrs. Potter grinned.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sirius grinned at me and I just rolled my eyes in response.
"That's alright dear, just enjoy your holiday, you're welcome to stay here any time you like" She smiled sweetly at me. "By the way, how is your arm doing?" She asked.
"It's just a bit sore but much better than it was last night" I nodded, trying not to think about how I got this cut in the first place. Mrs. Potter nodded in response.
"We'll have to change the bandages after breakfast" She informed me, and I nodded my head before continuing to eat my breakfast.
***
After breakfast, Mrs. Potter checked my cut, put some magical cream-like remedy on it, then rebandaged my arm. Once we were all finally ready, we gathered in the living room to open our gifts. Thankfully before Sirius and I apparated to the Potters, I made him go back inside the house and grab some of my things such as clothes, toiletries, and the bag containing my gifts for everyone.
For James, I had gotten him wet-start no-heat fireworks which I thought he would find exciting for new years eve this year. Mr. and Mrs. Potter didn't seem thrilled that I was buying their son explosives, but they agreed to let us set some off by the beach where no muggles could see and where we couldn't set the house on fire. James got me a new quill and quidditch gear which I desperately needed.
I bought Peter a new exploding snap game set because flitch confiscated his old one, and I knew it was his favorite game. He blushed when I gave it to him, becoming very flustered. I so hoped he would get over this little crush of his, but it only seems to have gotten worse since I started dating Sirius. He can hardly even talk to me anymore. However, he still got me a gift. It was a box filled with all my favorite candy from Honeydukes, and I actually got excited since I never buy myself things like this.
Me, Sirius, James, and Peter all chipped in to buy Remus a really nice (and rather expensive) trunk with his name on it, but not only his name. We had it engraved with the title "Professor R. J. Lupin". Remus expressed to us how he was thinking about becoming a professor, but was worried about his condition getting in the way of this. When he saw his name printed on the case he was speechless, and I suppose seeing it in writing was almost too good to be true.
In return, Remus got me a beautiful leather-bound notebook, but it was enchanted to never run out of paper. It's perfect for taking my own personal notes and will be perfect for when I go to Romania to study dragons next year.
Even Mr. and Mrs. Potter got me something which I wasn't expecting at all, especially because my presence in their house on Christmas was not planned. They simply got me a stack of books, all of which I surprisingly haven't read yet. Seeing as I grew up with three Ravenclaws in my house, all I ever did was read. It's difficult for me to find fictional books I haven't read yet, especially in the wizarding world, but Mr. and Mrs. Potter hit the mark with five different wizard novels.
"We found them on a trip to America we took years ago. They were written by American wizards and aren't printed in England. We read them over and over and James isn't interested in them, so I want someone to enjoy them again" Mrs. Potter explained.
"Thank you so much" I smiled at them, excited to begin reading immediately.
Sirius and I exchanged gifts last while Mr. and Mrs. Potter gave gifts to the other boys. I got Sirius what looked to be a regular penknife, and when he opened it he looked at me curiously.
"It's a penknife" He stated, examining it. I grinned, watching as he turned it over in his hands.
"It's no ordinary penknife. It can break through anything" I shrugged. "It's enchanted. It could even break through locked doors, like ones that are protected against charms like alohomora" I informed him. "We still have to figure out how to break into the other common rooms before we graduate, and I thought this could be helpful"
"This is amazing!" He exclaimed, smiling widely at the penknife in his hands. "This will be perfect for pranks too, or if Filch confiscates anything again I could break into his room" He spoke excitedly. "Thank you" He sighed, pulling me into a hug.
Sirius then pulled away and I watched him curiously as he stood up, a mischievous smile on his face. The others watched as he went behind the Christmas tree and pulled out a long, thin gift wrapped in tissue paper. I knew what it was before he even gave it to me, and my jaw dropped. I was speechless as he handed it to me, and I just stared at him.
"Sirius, you didn't" I choked out, looking at the other boys who all watched me with anticipatory smiles.
"Open it and find out" He smirked, sitting beside me again and putting the package in my lap. My heart was thudding as I reached with shaking hands to tear away the paper. Underneath I revealed a beautiful wooden broomstick, and at the end, each bristle was perfectly lined up and put in place. The wood was freshly polished and the smell hit me the second I opened it. Not only was it beautiful and new, but it had gorgeous personalized designs carved into the wood moving in spirals with a few stars sprinkled throughout, reminding me of the night sky and constellations. At the top of the broom in golden ink was printed the name "Nimbus 1500".
"Oh my merlin" I breathed out, staring at the incredible broom in disbelief. No one has ever gotten me something so incredible. "T-this is the... the new-"
"The brand new Nimbus broom that came out last month? Yeah, it is" James cut me off, rolling his eyes.
"Oh please, Prongs, give it a rest" Sirius rolled his eyes back at him.
"You're Just jealous Sirius bought Mane a new broom and not you" Peter grinned at James who pouted and punched him in the arm.
"Sirius I... I can't... This must have cost so much money" I shook my head, a bit overwhelmed by the incredible gift.
"Yes you can, and you will" He responded quickly, not offended by my denial, but rather understanding that something like this didn't happen to me often. "You see... Here's the catch" He continued, taking my hands in his. "This gift is for me too, because with this" He nodded down at the broom that still lay in my lap, "You're gonna help us win the quidditch cup when we get back" He grinned. "So I was being a little selfish when I bought it I suppose. You would be doing me a favor by accepting this gift" He assured me. I took a deep breath and looked back down at the broom again, then back up at him with a huge smile forming on my face. I moved the broom out of the way and practically jumped into his lap while wrapping my arms around his neck.
"Thank you so much" I whispered into his ear. He hugged me back tightly in response.
"Anything for you"
***
Mr. and Mrs. Potter left the five of us to ourselves once we finished opening gifts, and we decided to go outside and test out my new broom, despite the cold December temperature. I took a turn first of course, and it was exhilarating. My old nimbus was the first model ever made, and it could reach about 100 MPH. My new broom was easily pushing 150 MPH, and I've never experienced speed like that in my life. It took a while, but I finally landed to give someone else a turn. I decided to let Sirius hop on since he bought the broom and hasn't even tested it yet.
"That was bloody brilliant," I told him as he mounted the broom.
"I could tell. Your hair is practically sticking straight up from the wind" Sirius chuckled, getting ready to take off. As he left the ground and zoomed into the air I felt my hair to feel it all knotted and stiff. I probably should have tied it back before flying...
"So... while I have you guys here I kinda wanted to run something by you" James spoke up once Sirius was gone, and I looked at him questioningly.
"Without Sirius?" I asked, confused as to why he waited until he was gone.
"Well, Sirius already knows and gave me his opinion and everything. We talked about it before we even left Hogwarts. I just still wasn't sure... but I can't wait any longer to ask you guys" He admitted, and I started to feel nervous.
"What is it, mate?" Remus asked, also looking apprehensive.
"Well... it's about Lily... and about us... We've been dating for more than half a year and I still haven't told her I'm an animagus because... well, I didn't want to give away all of our secrets if you guys weren't okay with it" James shrugged, and I suddenly felt guilty.
"You're right... I haven't told Lily anything about my abilities, and I just feel awful about lying to her." I told them. Remus nodded in agreement seeing as he was also close with Lily, and peter just listened.
"She already knows about me, so I don't see why we shouldn't let her in on the entire operation" Remus shrugged. I agreed with Remus, I just hope Lily isn't angry with us for not sharing this with her.
"There comes the problem of the other girls... I don't really want to lie to them but I don't want to expose your secret to all of them either'' I looked at Remus. He sighed, thinking for a moment.
"I suppose everyone will find out eventually, and we're older now, almost out of school... I wouldn't mind not having to hide this anymore either" He admitted. "I just want to wait a bit longer... until we're closer to graduation, just in case the reaction isn't what we're hoping for," He told us, and I nodded my head even though I knew Alice and Marlene would never judge him.
"Do you guys think I could tell them about me being an animagus without exposing the rest of you?" I asked, and they shrugged in response.
"I don't see why not. You became an animagus for an entirely different reason. We didn't even know for a while. You should be able to tell them on your own terms" James told me, and I nodded, deciding that once Lily knew, I would tell Marlene and Alice when we got back to school.
"So it's decided then? We're going to tell Lily together?" I asked James, and he nodded, smiling.
"I'm glad we're all on the same page because I actually invited her here for New Year's Eve to tell her" James admitted, and my eyes went wide.
"Okay... thanks for telling us ahead of time" I replied sarcastically. I thought I had time before school started to explain everything. Now I only have a few days.
"Sorry, it was a bit of a last-minute thing. I only sent her an owl yesterday asking" he admitted.
Sirius finally landed and smiled brightly at us.
"That was wicked" He sighed, swinging his leg over the broom and handing it to James. "You tell them everything?" He asked, and James nodded his head. "So we're all in agreement, then? We're telling her?" He turned to us.
"Yeah, I think it's a bit overdue," I chuckled. "Hopefully she doesn't kill us for waiting so long"
"Oh, she'll understand. What we did was illegal after all. Like, VERY illegal. I think that gives us an excuse for being a little hesitant" Peter rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"Oh, and one more thing" James spoke up, scratching the back of his head. Even Sirius looked quizzical now. "I... I think I'm going to propose to Lily on her birthday" He got out all in one breath, and we all stared at him in shock.
"Wow... really? I mean, that's amazing but, is it too soon?" I asked. I thought about Sirius and I possibly getting married within this coming year, and the thought scared me. Not because I wouldn't want to marry him, but because we're so young. We have all the time in the world.
"Well... I've known I loved Lily for years before we started dating, and she told me she felt the same, she just never realized or wanted to admit it. We may have only been together for almost a year, but we've been connected for far longer than that" James explained. "And I'm gonna be honest, I'm afraid of what will happen after graduation. The world is changing and... I don't want to miss out on anything. I want to appreciate what I have before things get tough. Before they might be taken away from me" He told us, and we were all silent for a moment as his words sunk in.
"Well, I think it's a great idea mate. You and Evans were made for each other" Sirius grinned, patting James on the back. James smiled at him, happy that he understood.
"I agree, you have to do what you think is right. You and Lily were bound to get married eventually, better sooner rather than later" Remus chuckled.
"I suppose I could welcome Lily into the family" Peter joked, grinning. James reached over to the slightly shorter boy and ruffled his hair like an older brother. He then turned to me.
"I know how it feels to love someone for longer than you've been together," I told him quietly, casting a sideways glance at Sirius. "And while I can't imagine myself getting married any time soon, I can see you and Lily being extremely happy together for the rest of your lives" I smiled at him, and somehow the smile on his face got even wider.
"Thanks, guys... I'm glad you're all on my side here. My parents were a bit shocked when I mentioned it to them... but they love Lily, and they understood why I wanted this" he told us. "I had to get their permission of course... They mean the world to me" He sighed.
"Now all you have to worry about is her saying yes" Sirius laughed, and James' cheeks suddenly flushed red.
"Alright, one thing at a time" I laughed with Sirius, hoping he didn't freak James out. "Let's focus on telling her we're animagi first" I sighed. James nodded, the grin returning to his face.
"Well, time to try this bad boy out," He said as he mounted my broom, kicked off from the ground, and took off at an alarming speed.
"That boy is full of surprises" I shook my head. Sirius wrapped his arm around me as we watched James zoom around on the broom.
"Just you wait, his kid is gonna be ten times worse" He responded, and I couldn't help but laugh.